71 3

The Himalayas is the highest mountain range in the

world and also theyoungest mountain range.
Longest Mountain Range is Andes in South
America
Mountains between the Indus and the Brahma-
putra are called 'theHimalayas' meaning 'the abode
of snow.'
The Himalayas consist of three parallel ranges.
(i) The southernmost range, called the Siwalik is
the lowest.
(ii) The ranges lying north of the Siwalik areknown
as the middle Himalayas or the Himachal.
(iii) The northernmost ranges of the Himalayas,
known as the Himadri, are the highest with an
average height of more than 6,000 metres above
the sea level.
Longitudina or Regional Divisions of Himalayas.
Kashmir Himalayas, between river indus and sutlej.
India : Physical
Features
The Indian mainland can be divided into
five physiographic units namely
(i) The Great Mountains of the North
(ii) The North Indian Plains
(iii) The Peninsular Plateau
(iv) The Coastal Plains (v) The Islands
Mountains of India
The mountains extending between the
Pamir plateau and the Indus river in Kash-
mir are known as the Karakoram.
The Karakoram mountains contain the
Siachen, which is the world's largest moun-
tain glacier.
The world's second highest peak called K2
(Godwin Austin) belongs to Karakoram
range.
The Himalayas surrounds India on thenorth,
north west and north - east which extends to
about 2400 km.
Indi an Geography
Karakoram
World's largest and most expensive cruise liner
Queen Mary 2, the luxury ship carrying more than
2,500 passengers and 1,500 employees.
Queen Mary 2
71 4
Kumaon Himalayas, between river Sutlej and River
Kali.
Nepal Himalayas, between river Kali and river
Teesta.
Assam Himalayas, between river Teesta and
Brahmaputra Gorge.
The Himadri contain some of the world's highest
peaks.
Mt. Everest (8848 m) in Nepal is the world's
highest peak.
Kanchenjunga in Sikkim is the highest peak of
the Himalayas in India.
Highest Mountain Peak in India
(a) K2 (b) Kanchenjunga
(c) Nanda Devi (d) Mt. Everest
Ans: (a) K2
It is in Pak Occupied Kashmir. Hut Zym-Kn-I -amb n
CXvC y-b psS{] t Z-i -am-Wv.
Important passes of Himalayas
Kashmir : Burzil and Jojila
Himachal Pradesh : Bara, Lepcha-la, Shipkila
Uttar Pradesh : Thanga-la, Niti-la, Lipu-Lekhla
Sikkim - Nathula, Jelepla
Khybar pass is the most famous pass which leads
from Peshwar to Kabul.
South of Khybar pass is the Gomal Pass (it is in
Pakistan)
The Bolan Pass leads from Kandahar to Quetta.
Shipki Pass leads from the Punjab to Tibet.
The Purvachal Hills in the north-east consist of
the Patkai-Bum, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Lushai
Hills.
Vindhya mountains cut off the northern plain from
the south.
The Peninsular mountains include The Western
Ghats (The Sahyadris), The Eastern Ghats, The
Satpura Range and The Aravallis.
The Western Ghats runs along the west coast
from the south of Tapti river valley to
Kanyakumari. Passes in Western Ghats are the
Palghat between Palakkad and Coimbatore,
Shenkotta between Kollam and Madurai, Thalghat
between Mumbai and Pune and the Bhorghat be-
tween Mumbai and Nassik.
The Eastern Ghats are irregular hill ranges that
stretch from northern Orissa to the Nilgiris in
Tamil Nadu across the coastal Andhra.
The Satpura range extends from the Narmada val-
ley in the north to the Tapti valley in the south.
The 800 km range Aravallis stretching from the
north-east to the south - west of India separates
the semi-desert regions of Rajasthan from the fer-
tile Udaipur and Jaipur regions.
Aravallis is the oldest mountain range in India.
Sahyadri hills is a part of the Western Ghats.
Nilgiris is also a part of Western Ghats. Nilgiri is
known as the Blue Mountains.
The southernmost tip of Eastern Ghats is called
CardamomHills.
The Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats meet at
Nilgiri Hills.
The Peninsular Plateau
Rising from the Alluvial plains of U.P and Bihar,
south of the Yamuna - Ganga line, the great Indian
plateau (Peninsular plateau) extends towards the
south to encompass the whole of the peninsula.
Its north-west limit is marked by theAravalli range.
The Peninsular plateau can be divided into three-
Geographically, Deccan plateau is the
oldest part of India.
71 5
the Central Plateau, the Eastern Plateau and the
Deccan Plateau.
The Eastern plateau lies to the north - east of
Malwa.
East of Baghelkhand is the Chottanagpur plateau
in Jharkhand which is 700m high and has steep
borders.
The Malwa plateau, particularly its north - east-
ern part called the Chottanagpur plateau is the
richest mineral producing region of India.
Anamudi (Idukki) in Kerala is the highest peak of
Peninsular India.
The Deccan plateau lies to the south of northern
plain. The plateau is flanked by mountain ranges
called Eastern and Western Ghats.
The triangular plateau is Indias largest plateau
with a height ranging from 900 to 300 m in the
west and east. N- Sextenat - 1600 km and E-Wextent
- 1400 km.
Great Plains
The Great plains are found between the Himalayas
and Peninsular plateau which extends to about
2400 km.
The plains are drained by river Sutlej and the Beas
in the west, the Ganges and its tributaries in the
east.
Sambhar, the salt lake lies in the Rajasthan plains.
The most fertile region of India is the northern
plains formed by the valleys of rivers Ganges and
Brahmaputra.
The Islands
Besides mainlands India has two groups of Islands
namely the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the
Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the
Arabian Sea.
Andamans consists of a northern cluster of 204
small islands and Nicobar islands consists of a
southern cluster of 19 Islands.
Ten degree channel separates Andaman from
Nicobar.
Port Blair is the capital of Andaman & Nicobar
Islands.
The southernmost tip of India, Indira point is in
Great Nicobar islands which is the biggest island
in Nicobar group.
The islands of Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi
in the Arabian sea are known as Lakshadweep. It
comprises of a group of 36 islands, about 300km
to the west of Kerala coast. Only 10 of the islands
are inhabited.
Kavarathi is the capital of Lakshadweep.
New Moore Island lies in Bay of Bengal near West
Bengal also belong to India.
Coco Islands North of Andaman belong to
Myanmar.
Biggest Island in Andaman Group - Middle
Andaman
Biggest Island in Nicobar Group - Great Nicobar
Smallest Island in Andaman Group - Ross Island
Smallest Island in Nicobar Group - Pilomillow Is-
land
Highest point in Nicobar Group - Mount Thullier.
Soils in India
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR) divides the soils found in the country into
8 major groups.
They are: Alluvial soil, Black soil, Red soil, Later-
ite soil, Forest soil, Arid and Desert soils, Saline
and Alkaline soils and Peaty and Organic soils.
Alluvial Soil
Alluvial soil contributing the largest share, is
formed by the deposition of sediments by rivers
in the interior parts of India and by the sea waves
Anthroth Island
The largest Island in Lakshadweep
71 6
hydrated double iron and titaniferous magnetite.
Black soil found in Maharashtra, Gujarat, West
Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu
Red Soil
Red soil is formed by the weathering of ancient
metamorphic and crystalline rocks.
They are airy and need irrigation support for cul-
tivation. Red soil is suitable for the cultivation of
pulses and coarse grains.
Red soils are poor in nitrogen, phosphorous, po-
tassium and organic matter.
They are more suitable for the cultivation of rice,
in the coastal areas of the country.
Alluvial soil is the best agricultural soil because
(i) They contain a variety of salts derived from
Himalayan rocks.
(ii) They are light and porous, therefore easily
tillable.
(iii) They are good for canal irrigation because of
high water table and an easily penetrable stratum.
Alluvial soils are rich in potash and poor in nitro-
gen and organic matter.
Alluvial soils are suitable for cultivation of almost
all kinds of cereals, pulses, oil seeds, cotton, sug-
arcane and vegetables.
Ahmedabad, Baroda and Kheda districts of
Gujarat, Orissa and
Kerala are some of
the states in which
alluvial soil is
found.
The coastal allu-
vium is of tidal ori-
gin.
The desert alluvium
or 'Loess' is
bought by wind
erosion.
Black Soil
Black soil is found
largely in the
Deccan plateau.
Black soil is suit-
able for the cultiva-
tion of cotton and
therefore it is called
black cotton soil.
The black colour of
the black soil is at-
tributed to the pres-
ence of compounds
of Iron and alu-
m i n i u m ,
accumulated hu-
mus, aluminiumsili-
cate, colloidal
71 7
ragi, tobacco and vegetable.
Laterite Soil
Laterite soils are formed by the weathering of lat-
erite rocks. Laterite soils are deficient in nitrogen.
They are chiefly found in Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Malabar areas.
These soils are agriculturally unimportant because
of intensive leaching, a low base exchange capac-
ity and their acidic nature.
Forest Soil
Forest soils are formed by the deposition of or-
ganic matter derived from forests. They are rich in
organic matter and humus. They are found mainly
in Punjab, Karnataka, Manipur and Jammu &
Kashmir.
These soils are used for plantations of tea, cof-
fee, spices and fruits.
Arid and Desert Soils
Arid and Desert soils are formed under arid and
semi arid conditions in the north -western parts of
the country. They are rich in phosphate though
poor in nitrogen.
These soils often have a high soluble salt content
and low to very low humus content.
These soils are made fertile by adding gypsum.
Saline and
Alkaline Soils
Saline and Alkaline soils are salt impregnated
and infertile. These soils are found especially in
the dry tracts of the north.
Also known as reh, kallar, usar, thur, karl and
chopan
They contain a larger proportion of sodium po-
tassium and magnesium
They acquire salts largely because of dry climate
and poor drainage
Peaty Soils
Peaty soils are developed under humid conditions
as a result of the accumulation of large amounts
of organic matter. These soils are highly saline
and rich in organic matter.
The River Systems of India
Rivers in India may be classified into the Hima-
layan rivers, the Deccan river (Peninsular Rivers).
These soils cover the high rainfall areas of West
Bengal, Orissa and Kerala.
Himalayan rivers
The Himalayan rivers are perennial snow fed riv-
ers. During the monsoon season, the rivers dis-
charge the maximum amount of water causing fre-
quent floods.
Yamuna, Gomti, Ghagra, Gandak, Ram Ganga, Son,
Chambal, Betwa and Ken are the the main tribu-
taries of Ganga.
Ganga is known by thenamePadma in Bangladesh.
Ganga flows through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West
Bengal and finally enters into the Bay of Bengal.
Brahmaputra is the second largest river system
of I ndian sub-continent. The 2,688 km
Brahmaputra is longer than the Ganges, but only
one third of the river passes through India.
Brahmaputra orginates from the Manasarovar lake
in Western Tibet. It mainly flows through Tibet
and a small portion of it flows through India.
In Tibet, Brahmaputra is known as Tsang Po.
After making deep gorges in Namcha Barwa, it
enters India in Arunachal Pradesh as 'Dihang'. It
enters Sadiya District of Assam and known as
Brahmaputra when it enters Bangladesh, it is
named as 'Meghna.'
k n ph pw{_ l va] p{Xb pwKwK-t b - m h ep-Xm-
The River Ganga is
the longest river
(2640 km) in India. Its
source is at Gangotri
glacier in the
Himalayas.
71 8
sW- nepwCh -b psS sNdn-sb mcp ` mKwam{Xt a
C y-b n-eqsSHgp-I p- p- p.
Brahmaputra is the only river in the world which
form a river island named 'Majauli Island.'
Indus is the longest river of Indian sub-continent.
It is 2900 kmlong. It flows mainly through Pakistan.
Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum are the five
tributaries of Indus. Mount Kailash in Tibet is the
source of Indus river. It enters into the Arabian sea.
The Ravi is the smallest river of Punjab and is well-
known as the 'River of Lahore.' It rises near the
Rohtang pass in the Kulu hills of Himachal Pradesh.
The Chenab is the largest of Indus tributaries. It
has a total length of 1,800 km in India.
Peninsular rivers
Peninsular rivers (The Deccan System) are gener-
ally rainfed and comprises the rivers of peninsu-
lar India. They are shorter and seasonal in nature.
River Godavari is the largest river system (1465
km long) of peninsular India. It is known as the
'Vridha Ganga' or 'Dakshin Ganga.' It rises from
Trambak in Nasik district in the Western Ghats.
River Krishna rises from the north of
Mahabaleswar in the Western Ghats. It enters into
the Bay of Bengal. Krishna basin forms the third
largest river basin in India.
River Cauvery rises from the Brahmagiri hills in
the Coorg district of Karnataka. About 55 percent
of the cauvery basin lies in Tamilnadu, 41 percent
in Karnataka and three percent in Kerala.
River Pennar rises in the Kolar district of Karnataka.
River Damodar rises from the Chottanagpur pla-
teau near Tori in Palamau district of Jharkhand.
River Damodar of Jharkhand is called as "Sorrow
of Bengal and Jharkhand", because of frequent
flood, mass, soil erosion and heavy siltation.
River Narmada which rises from the Amarkantak
plateau in Chhattisgarh is the largest among the
west flowing peninsular rivers.
Narmada and Tapti are the major west flowing
rivers of India. They drains into the Gulf of
Cambay in the Arabian Sea.
Satpula Mountain range lies between Narmada
and Tapti.
Luni and Sabarmati are the other two west flow-
ing peninsular rivers.
Sabarmati rises from the Jai Samand lake of
Udaipur, Rajasthan.
The Luni orginates from Annasagar in the Aravallis
and ends on the Sahni marshes, North of Rann of
Kutch.
The worlds largest delta, Sunderbans is formed
by the Ganges and Brahmaputra in West Bengal
and Bangladesh, in the Bay of Bengal.
The Third river system is also called the Rivers
of Inland Drainage Basins which consists of small
rivers in the sandy areas of Rajasthan.
Lakes
The largest fresh water lake in India: Lake Kolleru
(Andhra Pradesh). Wular is the second largest
fresh water lake.
The second largest salt water lake is Sambhar in
Rajasthan.
Important lakes in India are Chilka (Orissa),
Sambhar (Rajasthan),
Pulicat (Andhra
Pradesh) and
Vembanad (Kerala),
Woolar (J &K), Dal
(J &K), Uday Sagar
(Rajasthan), Puslikar
(Rajasthan), Puslikar
(Rajasthan), Loktak
(Manipur Hills).
Dal Lake is fa-
mous for house boats.
Sambar in
Rajasthan is the largest inland salt lake in India.
Indian Climate
Indian climate is greatly influenced by the pres-
ence of Himalayas in the north and the Indian
Ocean in the south.
The climate of India is monsoonal type, fed up by
two rain bearing winds.
Latitude and the monsoon winds are the major
factors affecting the Indian climate.
The Tropic of Cancer divides India into two al-
most equal climatic zones namely the northern
zone and the southern zone.
India receives 90% of thetotal rainfall frommonsoons.
Monsoons arethe seasonal winds which blow during
six months of summer fromocean to land and for the
six months of winter from land to sea.
The South West Monsoon forms the main mon-
soon season in India (June to August).
The largest
saltwater lake :
Lake Chilka
(Orissa)
71 9
landmass of north-western India towards the In-
dian Ocean.
Thunder storm cause upto 25 cm of rainfall along
the Kerala and Karnataka coasts and about 10 cm.
in the interior of South India. Such rains are called
'Cherry Blossoms' in Karnataka where they
prove immensely beneficial to coffee plantation.
They are called as 'Mango Showers' in South
India, due to their salutary effect on mango crop.
The normal date of the onset of the rains is 20th
May in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and by the
end of June, it is usually established over most of
the country.
The North East Monsoon (October - November)
brings rain mainly to Tamil Nadu.
On the basis of monsoonal variations there are
four seasons in India namely the cold (winter)
season (December to February), the hot (summer)
season (March to May), the south west monsoon
(the rainy season) (June to September) and the
season of retreating monsoon (October to No-
vember).
The North - East Monsoons are comparitively mi-
nor monsoons confined to a smaller area of the
country. They are the winds blowing out from the
Wild life Sanctuaries & National Parks
''Two roads diverged in a wood,and
I took the one less travelled by
and that has made
all the difference''
from 'THE ROAD NOT TAKEN'
by ROBERT FROST
Poh n-X- nse G h pw k p{] -[ m-\ -amb H mWv
Career Selection. B {K-l n- p- Xve` n- -W-sa- n
F XvCu Xocp-am-\ - ns k o X h n-
n- p- p. Dt Zym-Kw F Xv G Xm\ pw Znh -k -
t vam{X-ap Hcp k wh n-[ m-\ -a-. A XvHcp
Life long engagement B Wv. \ n t \ Sp Dt Zym-
K-am-b n-cn pw \ n -f psS h f b pw ` mh nb pw
Db b pw Xocp-am-\ n- p-I .
Dt ZymKw t \ Sn- -gn-b p-t m \ n -f psS {] [ m\
t emI w \ n -f psS Hm^ o-k pw, Npp-] m-Sp-I -f p-amb n
amdpw. \ n -f psS Poh n-X- nse Prime Time (I m-
e v10 apX ssh I nv5 h sc) Nne-h n-Sp- Xv
Dt Zym-K- -e- m-Wv. \ n A dn-b -s -Sp- XvB
Dt Zym-K- ns t ] cn-em-b n-cn- pw. \ n ve` n-
p k maql y A wKo-I mcw Xocp-am-\ n- p- Xv
\ n -f psS Dt Zym-K- ns {] m[ m-\ yh pw {] t Xy-
I -X-I -f p-am-b n-cn- pw.
A Xn-\ m-e mWv Dt ZymK sXc-s -Sp v Poh n-X-
nse Hcp Crucial Decision B sW v ] d-b p- -
Xv. Hcp wrong selection \ S- n-b m Poh n-X- ns
Xmf w Xs sXp- -Xm-Wv.
Therefore you must select the right job in your life.
Which is the
right job?
Which is the
good job?
\ Dt Zym-Kw, i cn-b mb Dt ZymKwF s ms ] d-
b p-t m \ n -f psS taste, aptitude F nh k p{] -
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m m-b m A Xv\ selection B hn. A Xn-\ m
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sXc s Sp t Xv hf bp DtZym K am bn
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chpw hn]peamb {]h\taJebpw DmIWw.
k aq-l - ns B Z-chpw_ l p-am-\ hpwk vt \ l hpw
] nSn- p-] -p Dt Zym-K-amb ncn WwsXc-s -Sp-t -
Xv. kaqln\mbn ]eXpw sNm km[np
Dt Zym-K-am-sW- n A Xn\ vap K-W\ \ I -Ww.
720
am\ y-amb n Poh n- m-\ p t h X\ w \ I p Dt Zym-
K-am-b n-cn- -Ww \ n sXc-s -Sp- p- Xv.
A ns\ t \ m p-t m C y k nh n k ok v
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KW\ Pohn X n \tI Xv . ]s Cu ]co
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k ml -N-cy-an-s- n ] ns A Sp e ywsU ] yqn
I f -I vS, BDO, sk {I -t -dn-b vA k n- v, Pq\ n-b
F wt m-b vsa vHm^ o-k , SI, ] m-b vsk {I -dn
F n-h -b m-sW vI mWmw. (k m-t -XnI , s{] m^ -j -
W t b mKyX t \ Sn-b -h -cpsS I mcywCh nsS ] cn-K-
Wn- p- n-).
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b vA k n- vB Wv(sU -] yqn I f -I vS Dt Zym-K-
n\ vHgn-h p-I Xosc I pd-h m-Wv)
sk{I t dn bv Akn v DtZym Kw Fp sImv
t \ SWw?
Hgn-h p-I 1000 nt esd A Xn-\ m \ mb n
{i an- m t \ Smw
Deputy Secretary
Joint Secretary
Additional Secretary
Under Secretary
Section Officer
Assistant
GREAT SCOPE FOR
PROMOTION
Fix this job
as your
life's goal
Fix it now, start the preparation
seriously, improve and empower
yourself with knowledge and skill.
Grow yourself in a daily manner.
Don't take any chances. Make doubly
sure that you get it. Grab it at any
cost. Never, Never, Never, Ever
allow you to lose this job. Start the
great work now, Now and Now.
Let this decision
make all the difference
to your life.
No Transfer - k z I pSpw-_ -Po-h nXw
A[nImctI{fpambn _w
a{ n-am vD] -t Z-i - -f pw, am-\ nt -i - f pw
\ I m-\ p A h -k cw
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721
72 2
Normal duration of the monsoon varies from 2 to 4
months.
The Trans-Himalayan and Greater-Himalayan re-
gions, Drass and Kargil of Ladakh region are the
coldest regions in the country.
Chirapunji in Meghalaya is the wettest place in
India.
Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan is the driest place
in India which receives the lowest rainfall.
India : Natural Vegetation
(Forests)
Natural vegetation in India varies from region to
region due to variations in climatic conditions,
soil types and relief features.
Nearly 19.39% of the total land area in India is
under forest. The National Forest policy has laid
down a target of raising the area under forest to
nearly 33.3%.
Tropical Evergreen forests are dense forests of
luxuriant growth found in areas where rainfall
ranges between 200 to 300 cm. eg; Western Ghats
and sub-Himalayan regions.
Tropical Decidous Forests or Monsoon Forests
are areas having annual rainfall between 100-200
cm.
Tidal or Littoral Forests occur along the deltas of
West Bengal Orissa and Andhra Pradesh receiv-
ing annual rainfall above 200 cm. Sundari tree is
the important tree in these forest.
Dry Tropical forests are mostly prevalent in re-
gions with an annual rainfall of 90 to 130 cm.
Swamps or Littoral forests are also called tidal
forests which occur in and around the tidal creeks
and along the deltas of river Ganges, Mahanadi,
Krishna and Godavari.
Alpine forests cover the alpine areas in the
Himalayas, at a height of 2880 m to 3700m.
Siwaliks are covered with tropical moist deciduous
flora such as sal and bamboo.
Planting of trees is known as afforestation.
Deforestation is the destruction of trees.
Forests also help to prevent soil erosion and
land slides. It maintains the ecological balance
and provides forest products such as timber and
industrial raw materials. Forests helps to pro-
tect wild life and rare species of trees and plants.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under for-
est among the Indian states.
National Parks, Sanctuaries and
Biosphere Reserves in India
Namdapha (B.R) .................. Arunachal Pradesh
Kaziranga (N.P) ...................................... Assam
Manas (N.P) ........................................... Assam
Hazaribagh (N.P) ............................... Jharkhand
Gir (N.P) .................................................Gujarat
Nalsarovar (S) ........................................Gujarat
Jaldapara (S).................................. West Bengal
Manali (S) ............................. Himachal Pradesh
Dachigam (N.P) ..................... Jammu & Kashmir
SalimAli (N.P) ....................... Jammu & Kashmir
Karakoram (S)........................ Jammu & Kashmir
Bandipur (N.P) .................................. Karnataka
Kudremukh (N.P)............................... Karnataka
Ranganathittu (S) .............................. Karnataka
Eravikulam (N.P) ...................................... Kerala
Silent Valley (N.P) .................................... Kerala
Idukki (S) ................................................ Kerala
Indravati (N.P)............................... Chhattisgarh
Kanha (N.P) .................................. Chhattisgarh
Sariska (N.P)...................................... Rajasthan
Jim Corbett (N.P) ............................. Uttaranchal
Dudhwa (N.P)............................... Uttar Pradesh
Nanda Devi (N.P) ............................ Uttaranchal
Mawsynram in
Meghalaya (1141 cm) is the
rainiest place in the world.
72 3
Haryana has the least area under forest.
Arunachal Pradesh has the largest percentage of
area under forest.
India provides about 8% of the worlds hardwood
and ranks third after Brazil and Indonesia.
Mangrove forests are found in the coastal plains.
The forests on the Ganges delta in Bengal are called
Sunderbans after the sundari trees in these forests.
Evergreen forests (Tropical) are found in the West-
ern ghats and Sub-Himalayan region. They pro-
vide hardwood like teak, rosewood, ebony etc.
Social forestry aims at not only providing
fuelwood, fodder and other forest products, but
also to meet the requirement of ecological bal-
ance through large scale afforestation on
community lands and waste lands.
Energy plantations are plantation of softwood and
grass to meet the energy needs of households.
World Environment Day : June 5
Indias Wild Life
The wild life reserves of India are of two types -
the Wild life sanctuaries and National parks.
Presently the country has 500 Wildlife Sanctuar-
ies, 92 National Parks and 27 Tiger Reserves.
Wild life protection in India was given statutory
status with the adoption of the Wildlife (Protec-
tion) Act, 1972 by all the Indian states except
Jammu and Kashmir..
Trade in endangered species is subject to strict
rules under the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES) of wild flora and
fauna, to which India is a signatory.
Some of the endangered species are Asiatic Lion,
One Horned Rhinocerous, Hangul, Royal Bengal
Tiger, Wild Ass etc.
The Animal Welfare Board of India was estab-
lished in 1962. Research programmes in wildlife
are carried out by the Wild life Institute of India,
Dehradun and the Salim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.
Project Tiger is the centrally sponsored scheme
launched on April 1, 1973 to save the tigers from
extinction on India.
At present Madhya Pradesh tops the state with
greater number of Tigers. Madhya Pradesh is
known as the tiger state of India. M.P was fol-
lowed by Uttar Pradesh.
Project Elephant was launched to protect the wild
life and elephant population during the eighth
plan, ie in 1991.
A wild life week is observed in the first week of
October every year.
Biosphere Reserves: Biosphere preserve are multi
purpose protected area to preserve the genetic
diversity in representative eco system.
So far fourteen biosphere reserves have been set
up.
They are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great
Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sunderbans,
Similipal, Dibru Daikhowa, Dehong Deband,
Panchmarhi, Khangchendzonga. Agastyamalai
and Achanakamar - Amar Kantak.
Mineral Wealth In India
India is rich in mineral resources and has the po-
tential to become an industrial power.
India is the 5th largest exporter of Iron ore in the
world.
India is the largest producer of mica in the world.
Jharkhand is the leading producer of mica. Bihar,
Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh also produce mica.
The Great plains of Northern India are devoid of
deposits of economic minerals. On the other hand
Jharkhand and Orissa areas on the North-Eastern
parts of Peninsular India possess large concen-
tration of mineral deposits accounting for nearly
three-fourths of the countrys coal deposits.
Keibul Lamjo is the only floating National
Park in the country, is located in Manipur in
Loktak Lake
72 4
Raniganj (West Bengal), Jharia (Bihar), Singarui
(Madhya Pradesh) and Korba (Chhattisgarh) are
the major coal fields in India.
Mineral deposits are also scattered over the pen-
insular India and in parts of Assam and Rajasthan.
Thorium, a likely future substitute for Uranium as
a fission meterial in atomic reactors, occurs in con-
siderable quantities as ThO
2
, in the beach sands
of Kerala coast.
Thorianite and Monazite are the main ores of tho-
rium. Monazite deposits of commercial value are
found in about 160 kms between Cape Comorin
and Kollam in Kerala.
India possesses the largest reserves of monazite
known in the world.
Uranium compounds occurs in Singhbhum - cop-
per belt of J harkhand, Aravalli's and central
Himalaya.
Monazite which contains small percentage of Ura-
nium Oxide occurs in the beach sands of the east
and west in India.
Marble is found largely in Rajasthan.
Diamond is found at Panna in Madhya Pradesh.
India is rich in iron, mica, manganese and bauxite.
India is deficient in copper, lead, mercury, zinc,
tin, nickel, petroleum products, sulphur and
tungsten and spends considerable amounts in
foreign exchange on their imports.
Gypsum deposit is found in Rajasthan.
Leading salt producer in India is Gujarat. It pro-
duces 60% of salt of the country.
State with the largest mineral deposit is Jharkhand.
Formerly it was a part of Bihar.
Jharkhand is the state with highest mineral out-
put in India.
Chottanagpur plateau is the richest mineral belt
of India.
Gold is found in the Kolar Gold fields in Karnataka
and in small quantities in Ramigiri gold fields in
Andhra Pradesh.
Ligniteis mainly found in theNeyveli fields in Tamil
Nadu.
Natural gas fields are Ankleshwar and Cambay in
Gujarat, Bombay high and Assam.
Almost all the copper in India comes from
Singhbhum and Hazaribagh in Jharkhand and
Khetri in Rajasthan.
India ranks third in the world in the production of
manganese. Orissa is the leading producer of man-
ganese in the state.
The first successful oil well was sunk at Digboi in
1889. The recently discovered sea-bed oil fields of
Bombay High are also yielding, substantial quan-
tities of oil.
Bombay High is the offshore oil field located in
the coast of Maharashtra.
The first boring was made at Nahor Pung in No-
vember, 1866 in Makum area of Assam.
Digboi in Assam is the oldest oil well of India.
Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) was set
up at Dehradun in 1956.
Major Industries in India
The Industrial policy adopted by the Government
of India envisages a mixed economy, i.e., the
co-existance of public and private sectors.
The large scale industries of India covers iron
and steel, engineering, jute, cotton, textiles and
sugar industries.
Cotton textiles is the oldest industry in India. It
has the largest number of workers employed in
an industry.
Mumbai has become the 'cottonpolis' of India.
Ahmadabad Vadodra region is the second largest
centre of cotton textile.
Kanpur is famous for textiles and clothing, large
modern tanneries, leather works and shoe
manufacturing.
Sholapur is famous for important textiles based
on cotton grown in local regular soils.
The first modern cotton textile mill was estab-
Mineral State of India
Jharkhand
72 5
lished in Bombay in 1851.
Karnataka is the largest producer of silk.
First modern silk factory - was set up at Howrah in
1832.
Dharwar - Belgaum are known for cotton textiles
railway and general engineering goods.
In 1870, the first steel industry,Bengal Iron
Company was set up at Kulti, West Bengal.
The first large scale steel plant in the private sec-
tor was Tata Iron and Steel Company, Jamshedpur.
The public sector steel plants are managed by the
Steel Authority of India (SAIL).
Majority of the jute mills are located in West Ben-
gal. As a foreign exchange earner, it is an impor-
tant industry in the country.
Rourkela steel plant in Orissa was set up under
the second five year plan in assistance with Ger-
many.
Bokaro, the biggest plant in Asia was set up un-
der the fourth five year plan in association with
the Russian Government. I t is located in
Jharkhand.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is a quasi gov-
ernmental institution for drawing up standards
for the products of Indian industry. It was estab-
lished in 1947.
National Productivity Council (NPC) is an autono-
mous body formed to inculcate productivity in
industries, established in 1958.
Godavari - Krishna delta is known for local to-
bacco, sugarcane, rice, oil, cement and small tex-
tiles.
The industry associated with sports materials
mainly located at Agra, Meerut (UP), Batalla,
Jalandhar (Punjab) and Delhi.
Pinjore in Haryana and Jalahalli in Bangalore are
associated with watch industry.
Moradabad is famous for brass utensils with en-
graving and polishing.
Indian Explosives factory is located at Gomia in
Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).
First fertilizer plant is near Ranipet of Tamil Nadu
in 1906.
First public sector fertilizer plant is at Sindri
(Jharkhand)
The first synthetic rubber factory was started in
Bareilly in 1955.
There are only four newsprint manufacturing
plant:
(i) at Vellore (near Kottayam) in Kerala
(ii) at Nepanagar (M.P) - 1955
(iii) Shimoga in Karnataka.
(iv) Pugalur in Tirchchirapalli (T.N.)
West Bengal is the leading state in paper manu-
facturing.
NALCO (National Aluminium Company Ltd.),
BALCO (Bharat Aluminium Company),
HINDAL CO (The Hindustan Aluminium Corpo-
ration Ltd.), The Indian Aluminium Co. Ltd.
(INDAL) are the leading producers of aluminium
in the country.
India is the largest sugar producing country with
over 15% share of the global output. It is also the
largest consumer.
Maharashtra produces more than one third of the
total production of sugar in country.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the largest source of livelihood for
over 2/3rd (about 70%) of the population of India.
Agriculture contributes 22% to the GDP.
Crops in India can be classified into subsistence
crops, commercial crops, plantation crops and hor-
ticulture crops.
Crop season in India can be classified into three
such as Kharif, Rabi and Zayad.
Kharif (rainy) crops are sown in June/July and
harvested in September / October. Rice, Jowar,
Bajra, Ragi, Maize, Cotton and Jute are the impor-
tant Kharif crops.
Rabi (winter) crops are sown in October/ Decem-
ber and harvested in April/ May. Wheat , Barley ,
Peas, Rape-seed, Mustard and Grams are the im-
portant Rabi crops.
Zayad (Summer) crops : Swon in April, May and
June. Products are mostly fruits and vegetables.
Cardamom is found mainly in Karnataka, Kerala,
Sikkim and Tamil Nadu.
Punjab is
known as the
'Granary of
India.'
72 6
Cashewnut is mainly found in Kerala.
Saffron is found mainly in Jammu and Kashmir.
Groundnut is found mainly in Gujarat.
Karnataka is the chief producer of coffee.
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of sugar-
cane.
Tobacco is mainly produced in Maharashtra.
TheGreen Revolution (first) was launched in 1967-68.
The second Green Revolution was launched in
1983-84.
The father of Green Revolution in India - Dr. M.S.
Swaminathan.
Father of Green Revolution - Norman Borlaug.
To increase yield per hectare government of India
introduced a programme called Green Revolu-
tion. According to this programme the farmers are
taught to use high yielding variety of seed (H.Y.V),
correct types of fertilisers and the government
has provided facilities of irrigation.
Rice in the staple food of India.
India has the largest area under rice cultivation in
the world
In terms of production it is next only to China.
India occupies second position in rice exports,
nex only to Thailand.
Banana ranks no 1 in fruit production in India's
followed by Mango and citrus.
Potato ranks No. 1 in vegetable production in In-
dia, followed by Brinjal, Tomato, Cabbage.
India accounts for 10% of world fruit production.
India has highest productivity in grapes.
India's share in mango production is 54% of world
production
India leads the world in Mango, banana and acid
lime.
India occoupies first position in the production
of cauliflower, second in onion and third in cab-
bage in the world.
India is the largest producer, consumer and ex-
porter of cashew in the world.
India is the largest producer and consumer of
pulses
India is the second largest producer of ground-
nut in the world.
India is the second largest producer of tobacco in
the world after China.
Tobacco crop depletes the potash content of the
soil.
India is the third largest producer of and fourth
largest consumer of Rubber.
Black pepper is the most important dollar earning
crop.
India occupies second position after Gautemala
in terms of production, productivity and export of
cardamom.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of chil-
lies.
India is the largest (80%) producer of ginger
India stands second in terms of cultivated land
after USA.
Millets (Jowar & Bajra) is a poor man's food.
Two varieties of tea in India : Black tea and Green tea.
Indian Coffee is known for its quality and aroma.
There are two types of coffee : Arabica and
Raibusta. Arabica is better than Raibusta.
Wheat production is highest in Uttar Pradesh
and Punjab comes next.
Operation flood I was launched in 1970, which
aimed at capturing a commanding share of the
liquid milk market.
A centrally sponsored Command Area Develop-
ment Programme was launched in 1974-75 with the
main objective of improving utilization of irrigation
potential and optimizing agricultural productivity.
India is the leading producer of tea.
"C y-b nse t Xb n-e-t Xmw' F vhnt i -j n- n- -
s -Sp B m-amWvt Xb ne D m-Z-\ - n
H mw m\ v\ n p- -k w m\ w.
Uttar Pradesh leads in the production of wheat,
sugarcane, maize and barley.
I Wm-SI b mWvG h pw I qSp-X I m n,
N\w, knv Fnh DmZnnpXv.
Gujarat is the leading producer state of cotton,
caster seed and groundnut.
Rajasthan leads in theproduction of coriander (a-n).
West Bengal leads in the rice production and jute
production.
Irrigation in India can be classified into Wells,
Tanks and Canals.
Wells account for about 48% of the total irrigated
area in the country.
Tanks account for about 10% of the total irrigated
area, are used in Central and Southern India.
Canals are the major sources of irrigation in Punjab,
Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. They account for
about 40% of the total irrigated area.
72 7
The
largest
state:
Rajasthan
The
smallest
state
Goa
The most
populous state
of India: Uttar
Pradesh
The least
populous state:
Sikkim
The eastern
most state:
Arunachal
Pradesh
The Mineral
state:
J harkhand
The southern
most tip of
India: Indira
point
Largest
populated
city:
Mumbai
The
smallest
Union
Territory
72 8
INDIA
Water Bodies
INDUS
Indus ( km) is
the largest
river of Indian
sub continent.
J h e l u m ,
Chenab Ravi,
Sutlej, Beas are
the important
tributaries
Chenab is the
largest of all
the I ndus
tributaries
East Flowing
Rivers
Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna,
Kaveri are the
important rivers.
Godavari is the
longest river of the
Peninsula.
Bhima, Krishna and
Thungabhadhra are
the three tributaries
of Krishna.
Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra is
the second
largest river
systemof Indian
sub continent.
After making
deep gorges in
Namcha Barwa,
it enters India in
Arunachal
Pradesh as
Dihang. It
enters Sadiya
District of
Assam and
known as
Brahmaputra.
When it enters
Bangladesh, it is
named as
Meghna.
GANGA
It is the longest
river in India
(2640 km).
Formed by two
head streams,
Alakananda and
Bhagirathi which
join at Devprayag.
The Yamuna is the
largest and the
most important
tributary of Ganga.
Ganga is known as
Padma in
Bangladesh.
Narmada &
Tapti arethe two
important west
flowing rivers of
India
T
ap
ti
72 9
INDIA Physical Features
Mount Everest:
Highest Peak
in the World
(Nepal)
Kachenjunga
in Sikkim is
the highest
peak of the
Himalaya in
India
Aravallis is the
Oldest Mountain
Range in India
Worlds second
highest peak: K2
(Godwin Austin)
The highest peak in
Western Ghaths:
Anamudi
Cardomom Hills
Southern tip of
Eastern Ghats
Deccan Plateau
is the oldest part of
India
Bhor Ghat, Thal
Ghat, Pal Ghat are
the important passes
of Western Ghats
73 0
Now India have
Wild life Sanctuaries: 490
National Parks : 88
Keibul Lamjo is the only floating National
Park in India (Manipur)
India has the worlds largest
reserves of iron.
Chottanagpur plateau is the
richest mineral belt of India.
India is rich in iron, mica,
manganese and bauxite but
deficient in copper, lead,
mercury, zinc, tin, nickel,
petroleum products, sulphur &
tungsten.
India ranks third in the world in
the production of manganese
Orissa is the leading producer.
Gold is found in Kolar Gold
fields in Karnataka and in small
quantities in Ranigiri gold fields
in Andhra Pradesh.
Sanctuaries/National Parks .... Location & State
Valmiki ............................ Hazaribagh (J harkhand)
Simlipal .................................Mayurbhanj (Orissa)
Palamau .......................... Daltonganj (J harkhand)
Bandipur................................Mysore (Karnataka)
Kanha...................... Mandla and Balaghat (M.P)
Melghat............................................... Maharashtra
Ranthambore.......... Swai Madhopur (Rajasthan)
Corbett............................. Garhwal (Uttarakhand)
Sunderbans........................................ (West bengal)
Manas......................................... Barpetal (Assam)
Peri yar ........................................... Idukki (Kerala)
Sariska....................................... Alwar (Rajasthan)
Buxar ....................................................West Bengal
I ndravathi ............................................. Chattisgarh
Nagarjuna Sagar............................ Srisailam (A.P)
Namdapha ................ Tirap (Aruanchal Pradesh)
Dudwa.............................Lakhimpur Kheri (U.P)
Kalkad Mundanthuria Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu)
Bandhavagarh.............Shadol (Madhya Pradesh)
Panna............................................ Madhya Pradesh
Dampha....................................Aizwal (Mizoram)
Bhadra..................................................... Karnataka
INDIA - Minerals
73 1
River Valley Projects
Idukki Project........................................................ Periyar
Koyna Project......................................................... Koyna
Tehri Dam Project ..................... Bhilangana, Bhagirathi
Narmada Sagar Valley Project ......................... Narmada
Obra Power Station .................................................. Obra
Rihand project....................................................... Rihand
Bhakra - Nangal Project.......................................... Satlej
Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) .............. Damodar
Hirakud Dam Project......................... Mahanadi (Orissa)
Mayurakshi Project.................................... Murali (A.P.)
Nagarjunasagar Project ....................................... Krishna
Kosi Project................................................................Kosi
Pallivasal .....................................Mudirappuzha (Kerala)
Peringalkuthu..................... Chalakkudy Puzha (Kerala)
Sabarigiri ................................................. Pamba (Kerala)
Kuttiyadi ................................. Kuttiyady Puzha (Kerala)
Name of the Project .............................................. River
Farakka Project ................................. Ganga - Bhagirathi
Beas Project............................................................... Beas
Rajasthan canal project ................ Beas, Ravi and Sutlej
Chambal Project................................................. Chambal
Kakrapara Project .....................................................Tapti
Ukai Project...............................................................Tapti
Poochampad Project ..........................................Godavari
Malaprabha Project....................................... Malaprabha
Mahi ...........................................................................Mahi
73 2
&
Neighbouring Countries
73 3
73 4
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
73 5
73 6
Golden Quadrilateral - Links Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai
North-South Corridor - Sreenagar to Kanyakumari
East West Corridors - Porbandhar to Silchur